Cat plushie in Animal Crossing 3.0 sparks player-built cat cafés

Polygon reports that Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 3.0 update introduced a cat plushie that has prompted players to create cat cafés within the game.

The plushie comes in swatches such as orange tabby and calico and is one of the items included with the dockside hotel. After completing four hotel rooms, the cat plushie becomes available for purchase the following day in Gran's catalog for 120 Hotel Tickets. While New Horizons previously offered cat-themed items like a litter box and cat tower, the 3.0 update is the first to add a true cat item players can use in builds; a puppy plushie had arrived earlier in the 1.6 update but without a cat companion.

Players have adapted other 3.0 additions and older items to support the trend. Reddit user ButIDigress79 converted Happy Home Paradise cafés into cat-themed spaces using repurposed objects such as Mario-set mushrooms and a Bunny Day tree as climbables, and YouTuber zoibean remodeled an entire home into a cat paradise with areas for coffee, play, and a "classy cat tea lounge." New items like mug shelves, a marble kitchen island, and a circle cushion, together with favorites such as the espresso machine and food from the 2.0 update, have helped bring these cat cafés to life.